Lunar Embrace
by Caroline L'Amoure
Summary: an odd twist on Beauty and the Beast Misa is an albino elk- foretold to be able to tell the future of the herd. Too bad she can't. When the cruel leader of the herd decides to take her for his mate, she flees into the forest only to be captured by the rival wolf pack. The alpha is a bristly man, used to getting his way. He seems to have a softer side to him that calls to her...
1. Capture

The cold of the winter air blew through the forest, wind blowing snow through the branches of the birch and pine trees. The wind brought the scent of wolves, the scent bringing the herd of elk to alert. The dominant bull raised his head, nostrils flaring from the scent. He let out a great bellow, the other elks raising their heads and looking to their leader. He motioned for them to go in either direction, other bulls fanning out to look for the wolves as the cows stood behind.

A man came out of the forest, tanned skin covered with a pelt over his shoulders, yellow eyes sharp and fierce. "What are you doing on our land, Connor?" He snarled angrily, revealing long canine teeth. "You know we own this land." 

The dominant bull elk walked forward until he was in front of the man, looking down at him in derision. He started to change, joints popping and shifting until a tall man stood in his place, brown hair wild. "They are yours no longer, Garu." He smiled smugly. "We own these lands now- your pack is small and you are weak. It is time for the strong to take their rightful place."

The wolf bared his fangs in a low growl of anger. "You won't get away with this, elk."

"We already have. What are you going to do, attack our herd?" Connor laughed in mockery. "You can hardly take down one of our bulls, none the less all of them."

Garu bristled under the mockery, growling again but knew the elk was right. They were strong and fierce predators, but the elk were powerful creatures. Even with all the pack attacking, they would only be able to take down a few of the bulls before being overwhelmed. He would have to find some other way to take his lands back.  
He looked at the herd behind the elk, his predator mind assessing all of those among the herd and nearly missed her against the backdrop of snow behind her. A white doe. He squinted his eyes to get a better look, wondering if he was seeing things. No, she was indeed a white doe.

The bull looked to where he was staring, an angry snort coming from him when he saw the wolf had spotted the white doe. He shifted back to an elk quickly, brandishing his antlers at the wolf so that the man had to jump back or risk being impaled on the tines.

The reaction brought a smile to the wolf's face, glancing back over to where the doe was standing with a new idea. "Keep a careful watch over your herd, Connor." Garu said before shifting into his animal form, the silver wolf baring fangs at the elk before running back into the forest, the rustle of paws around him following close behind.

Connor was startled by the noise of others around him, realizing he had been surrounded the entire time without knowing it. He let out an angry snort, raking his antlers against a nearby tree to mark the territory as belonging to the elk. He trotted back over to his herd, letting out the bellow that signaled that this was where they were making camp for the night.

The elk around him shifted to their human forms, brown haired and wrapped in thick skins of pelt against the cold winter air. He shifted as well, walking over to a white haired woman who was talking among the others, chatting idly.  
He grabbed her wrist, turning her until she faced him, her red and pink eyes wide with shock. He was always struck by how strange her eyes were- an unnatural beauty that had captured him ever since she had been old enough to be called a woman. "You were supposed to stay out of sight." He said angrily, still holding her wrist.

"What, are you afraid others will see me, oh great leader?" Misa tugged her wrist out of his grip, rubbing the reddened skin from his tight grasp. "What does it matter? All of the herd knows about me."

"It was not the herd I was worried about." Connor glared down at her. "The wolf saw you. He _saw_ you."

"So?" Misa scoffed. "The wolf saw me. As long as the herd is around I won't be taken down by them. I highly doubt they would care about a doe, anyway."

"You are not an ordinary doe, and you know it. You are the white doe. The one the elders spoke about." Connor raised his arms up to the sky in defeat. "Why do I even bother? All you do is argue with me."

"Oh yes, the white doe that foretold to know the future." She sneered. "How special. It's too bad I don't know the future, hmm? I'm just a normal woman, Connor- I'm just white and some strange eyes. There's no special magic about me or anything."

"There is." he insisted. "You just aren't searching hard enough."

Misa rolled her eyes, which only angered Connor further. He grabbed her shoulders, looking down at her with fierce brown eyes. "There is one way to make you listen to me." He said, his voice low and dangerous. "Perhaps I will make you my mate."

Misa stared up at him in shock at the words, her jaw going slack. "You can't do that! I'm albino, I'm not natural, remember? You've reminded me so many times how I normally would have been cast from the herd for my coloring."

"I can do whatever I want." Connor made a sickly smile. "I am the head bull. No one will question me if I take you as my mate." He looked her over, as if looking over a particularly delicious meal. "Perhaps it would be a good idea. You are beautiful, despite your odd coloring."

Misa let out a sound of disgust before pushing him away from her. "I won't be your mate. You can't force me into it."

"Can't I?" Connor tugged her back against him. "I think perhaps I will. You need a man to show you your place, and who better to do that than the head of the herd? You are the most fiery of the females, and I like that."

Misa struggled against him, finally escaping his grip as he let her go, stumbling backwards before falling down in the snow. He laughed at her clumsiness and walked away to do his duties, leaving Misa on the ground.

Misa stared after him, looking around at the other in the herd around her, but they only watched with mild interest at what had just happened. Everyone in the herd would know of his claim by the end of the night. She was to be his mate. Bile rose in her throat at the idea, not able to even stand the thought of that wretched man touching her again. He was arrogant and cruel, leading the herd through harsh weather and terrain even when it meant a few would be left behind to die. He said it was to keep the herd strong, but she had found it interesting that the ones who got left behind were always the ones who spoke out against him in the past.

She lifted herself out of the snow, her animal hide dress covered in it so that she patted it off. A woman came up to her, telling her that Connor had directed Misa into the bridal tent for the night. They would be mated tomorrow.

Misa let out a small sound of shock, her eyes wide. Tomorrow?! He had decided to take over her life so quickly? She had no choice but to follow the woman, feeling as if she was walking more toward her death than the joy that she had seen the other women experience in mating. There would be no joy in this for her... she would hate every minute of her life.

The women changed her into the silken gown that was used for mating rituals, the wispy cloth clinging to her curves. She looked down at herself and admitted she did look good in the outfit... but it was a branding. She waited until the other women had left the tent before sitting on the snowy ground beneath her, shivering in the cold. This dress was normally worn during the spring when mating took place. The cold didn't suit the thin cloth, nearly sheer in some places so that she flushed with embarrassment, leaning down to cover herself as best she could.

She looked around the newly set up tent, not surprised to see that it didn't even have any furnishings yet. It probably wouldn't, unless Connor directed the others to put them in there. The bridal tent was meant for women to be alone before their mating day, to meditate and cleanse themselves for the occasion when they were bound to a male. She had no intention of being bound to Connor. How was she going to get out of this? To leave the bridal tent was to deny the mating- and denying the mating to Connor would likely get her exiled from the herd. It would mean certain death... but it was winter, and Misa was white. Perhaps until she found another herd, she would be able to survive among the cold snows. She blended so well...

She looked at the loose flap at the bottom of the tent, the cloth not secured properly in the rush to erect it. This was her only chance... it was either escape, or be mated to Connor for life.

She looked around, her ears listening intently for anyone coming near the tent before she lifted the flap, leaning down to look outside. As usual, the mating tent was on the outer skirts of the herd as everyone else set up their own tent to sleep for the night. There was no one between her and the forest beyond. She skittered under the tent cloth, pushing herself out as the cold snow pushed against her back through the thin cloth of the dress. She shivered violently from the touch, but she would be fine once she was able to shift to her elk form. She made a run for the forest, hearing shouts of alarm behind her when she was spotted.

She wasn't able to shift while running, so she hoped her legs would carry her into the forest quickly, a white streak among the brown trees around her. She heard movement to her right and left, and closed her eyes, hoping they hadn't already caught up to her. She risked a glance at what seemed to be so close to her, running alongside her. She gasped at the sight of a black wolf, his orange-yellow eyes looking over to her with interest before leaping over a fallen log.

Misa had to make the same leap, but her speed made her unable to keep her footing as sure in her human form. She stumbled forward, hitting someone before falling forward onto the snow on top of them. She gasped and looked up to see a man with tanned skin and silver hair looking down at her with an amused grin.

"Well that was easier than I thought it would be." Garu chuckled.


	2. Meeting the Pack

Welcome to chapter 2 of Lunar Embrace! I thought it might be nice for you to have more of an idea of what I'm thinking for this story.

Lunar Embrace was inspired by a few songs- if you want a good idea of the mood of this story (not in any particular order) then listen to these songs!

Like Animals- Maroon 5

Only Time- Enya

Dizzy- Goo Goo Dolls

Between the Raindrops- Lifehouse

Before I sleep- Joy Williams

Characters are represented loosely on characters from the Disney Beauty and the Beast. Mostly Lumiere, cogsworth, beast (of course), belle (of course), Mrs. Potts, Lefou, ect.

* * *

Garu stood, picking the white doe up with him, full of smug joy that the elk had literally run right into him. The bull must be besides himself with anger that she had run off for some reason- and would only be more upset that she had run right into the grasp of the pack.

He looked up, an eyebrow quirking with interest as two bull elk ran up to them, looking shocked to see Garu holding the albino in his grasp. They hesitated, turning into their human forms before approaching.

"The head bull requests his mate." One of the elk said, looking at the doe uneasily, as if the idea didn't suit him.

"I bet he does." Garu laughed in amusement. "Well he'll not have her. She's mine now." Garu brought the doe behind him, who scoffed at his claim. He glanced over his shoulder to her, giving her a critical look. If she wanted to be away from the herd, then she could. This was the only way, though. She seemed to understand that and quieted down, but glared at him with angry pink eyes. How interesting.

The herd elk looked at each other, as if they didn't know what to do. One of them started walking toward Garu, but was stopped when a man with black hair stood in their path. He was a tall man, thick in build with orange-yellow eyes that were dark and angry. "That would be unwise of you." He said simply, but bared fangs in warning at the elk.

The two bull elk backed up from the large wolf, shifting back into their elk forms before trotting back into the forest toward the herd.

The black haired man looked over his shoulder at Garu, his expression uneasy when he looked at Misa. "I hope you know what you're doing, Garu. This is going to anger the herd."

"As if I care what they think." Garu growled. "This girl is how we're going to get our lands back."

"'This girl' is still standing right behind you." Misa said angrily.

Garu turned around to see her, a wry smile coming over his face. "Indeed you are. Why did you run from the herd? I thought any doe would be beside themselves to be mated to the great head bull."

"As if I'd want to be mated to a headstrong brute like that." Misa scoffed. "He's arrogant, foolish and cruel."

Garu laughed, looking over to the black haired wolf in amusement. "See? I told you it would be fine, Gleddon."

Gleddon ran a hand through his black hair uneasily, looking back at where the elk had run off. "I still have a bad feeling about this, Garu."

"You have a bad feeling about everything." Garu rolled his eyes, looking back to Misa. "So white doe, I've heard from some people you may know the future. Is that true?"

Misa let out a long sigh of frustration. She was tired of being asked that. "No. I don't know anything about any future, I'm just a normal person, really."

"I wouldn't say normal." Garu looked her over, her interesting coloring giving her an ethereal look in the forest. The look wasn't possessive like Connor's, and the way his yellow eyes stopped at certain parts of her made her realize her dress was still rather thin and revealing. She turned away from him, but only heard an enticed growl when she did so. She flushed wildly, wondering what he saw behind her. Was it revealing in the back too?

"Come on Garu, you're embarrassing the girl." Gleddon chuckled. He took one of the pelts off his shoulder- a thick black fur that was warm as he set it over Misa's shoulders. "Come on girl, we'll bring you to the pack. My alpha seems to be overwhelmed from your outfit."

Garu let out a low growl of anger at Gleddon's words, but the larger wolf didn't seem to pay any heed to the warning as he led Misa further into the forest, Garu following behind.

* * *

Misa let out a small squeak of alarm as the clearing ahead of her was filled with wolves, some strong and some long and lanky as they lounged around. They all looked up when Gleddon led her into the clearing, their ears perking forward and sniffing the air to scent her. A round of confused grumbles and growls followed, making Misa even more uneasy so that she backed up against Gleddon before remembering he was a wolf as well.  
A good portion of the wolves changed into human forms, all of them with wild yellow eyes but a variety of hair colorings. It was strange to see so much variety when everyone in the herd was the same color other than herself.

"No one will harm her." Garu said in a deep, firm voice. "She is a guest in our pack, and will be treated accordingly. Yes I realize she is an elk- but as you can see she is different from the others. She is also Connor's mate. We will keep her to exchange her in return for our lands."

"What?" Misa looked at Garu incredulously. "You can't be serious! You can't just treat me like I'm some goods to trade back and forth."

"Your herd took our lands from us." Garu glared down at her. "We will use any means necessary to get it back- we will not survive as a pack without the prey that are within the woods on the other side of that clearing. Do you have any other ideas for us, sacred white doe?" He sneered the last part.

Misa just glared up at him silently, not knowing what else could be done. "You're no better than Connor." She hissed angrily before walking over to the woods, leaving Garu stunned by the statement. Connor was renowned for being cruel with his herd, killing anyone that stood in his way. Garu wasn't anything like that... or so he thought.

Garu looked at Gleddon for help, who sighed in frustration and followed after Misa. He found her sitting on a log, having brushed away the snow that was on it and holding the pelt he had given her tightly around her as she shivered. He sat down beside her, looking off into the woods silently for a few moments, watching the snow fall around them.

"Why do you always do what he wants?" Misa looked over to Gleddon uneasily.

"I'm the beta." Gleddon answered with a deep sigh. "Which is sometimes both a gift and a curse. Especially with someone as impulsive as Garu. He means well, you know." He looked over to the doe.

"Yeah well he's got a funny way of showing it. He doesn't know what Connor's like. I ran away for a reason." She pulled the pelt tighter around herself, as if trying to be comforted. "He's not just cruel to those who stand against him, he controls those who are with him with an iron fist. He doesn't... he doesn't like it when you say no." She glanced down to her wrist, which was starting to turn black and blue from his grip earlier.

"Garu isn't anything like that." Gleddon shook his head, glancing over to her. "He can be firm sometimes, and there are times when he has to punish those who go against the laws of the pack, but in the end he cares for all of us." He glanced at her wrist as she rubbed it, startled to see it bruised. "Did Connor do that?"

"Yeah." Misa said quietly, not looking up at the wolf.

Gleddon let out a low growl in the direction of the herd, the sound low and menacing. "I knew he was cruel, but this is much more than even what I had thought he was capable of." He glanced back down to her wrist again. "You should tell Garu. He'll want to know about that. I don't think he knows the extent of his cruelty."

Misa let out a soft sigh and nodded. "I ran away because I knew I would be miserable every day when I was with him. I fought against him for my whole life- he always looked at me as if he owned me. I don't want that, I want a life where I can be myself, away from the expectations of others." She flushed when she realized she was probably saying more than was acceptable. "Sorry. I'm just... frustrated. You probably don't want to hear this."

"As beta, it's part of my job to make sure all those within the pack are at peace with each other- including themselves." Gleddon shrugged. "I'm used to people telling me their problems, and while you're our guest, you're part of the pack. You can talk to me any time you want."

Misa smiled weakly to the wolf, who patted her on the shoulder reassuringly. "Come on, let's go back and meet the others. They'll be wondering about you. Leaving the pack to guess at things for too long and you'll come up with some wild speculations." He chuckled before helping her up and leading her back at the clearing.

Garu was gone, but the rest of the pack was still sitting around, all in their human forms except for one brown and gray wolf, who looked at her uneasily.

"M-my name is Misa." She said nervously, not used to standing in front of so many wolves. There had to be a dozen of them. "I'm from the elk herd. I'm not Connor's mate, no matter what he may say. I ran because he had claimed me. If I can help you... I will. I'm not sure how, though."

The wolves seemed to accept this, some looking at each other in confusion while others nodded in acceptance.

"You are welcome here, white doe." A woman with strange brown and white streaked hair stood with a smile. "I'll teach you how the pack works while we're here."

The other wolves seemed to relax, somehow relieved that this particular wolf had accepted her. The woman led her into another clearing in the forest, stopping in front of a large tent made of thick furred animal hides. "This is the woman's tent. Women and men usually sleep separately unless they are mated. Only mated males may come inside the woman's tent, and vise versa." She opened the flap of the tent, the inside warm and cozy with thick pelts covering the ground. It looked so much more comfortable than any of the tents back in the herd...

"Thank you." Misa smiled to the woman.

"No problem. My name is Leira, I am the pack enforcer. Any pack laws are strictly enforced here, but I won't expect you to know them right away. They're relatively simple anyway." She chuckled. "The most important one is the follow the alpha- no matter how crazy he may seem sometimes."

"Alright." Misa chuckled back. "Thank you... I'm rather tired." She sat down on a thick pelt, wrapping Gleddon's over her shoulders with a deep sigh. "It's been a long day."

Leira smiled softly, setting a hand on Misa's head reassuringly. "You'll be safe here. Don't worry about the elks, I have a feeling they haven't been very kind to you."

"You have no idea." Misa sighed sadly, resting her cheek against the thick fur. She laid down on the thick furs, knowing she probably shouldn't be so comfortable in the presence of wolves, but somehow knowing none of them would harm her. She fell into a deep sleep, the sound of a long howl out in the woods sounding in the background.


	3. Attack

Misa awoke surrounded by wolves, the scent making her heart hammer in her chest in alarm before she remembered where she was. The woman's tent was filled with those sleeping the morning off, obviously used to sleeping later than she was. One of the wolves even had her leg draped over Misa's, kicking it in her sleep as if she was running in a dream. She sat up, looking around at the sleeping wolves- seeing only one or two males among the group of half a dozen females. Were all the rest unmated, then? She had seen far more males than females, she would have thought the males would press the issue and insist all females be mated... then again that's how it worked in the herd. It must work differently here.

She stood and slowly made her way to the entrance of the tent, stepping over wolves and trying to be as quiet as possible. A few sniffed at her as she walked by, making growling noises in their sleep that made her uneasy. She was prey after all, her scent probably riled their instincts in their dreams.

She opened the flap of the tent, her breath curling a cloud in the cold air outside. It was amazing how warm it was in the tent, and she wondered if she should just curl back up against the wolves again. No... she should try to find Garu and give him more information on the situation. Maybe if she told him what Connor was like, he wouldn't make her go back. It was her only chance at staying away from the herd and from that stubborn bull.

She wrapped the fur around her shoulders, walking through the snow covered forest as she looked around for the other wolves. No one was in sight- the snow storm seemed to be getting worse, cold enough that she wrapped the fur around her tighter as she continued forward.  
She heard someone come to her from behind, and turned around expecting to see one of the wolves. Instead she saw a tall man, brown eyes hard as he grabbed her wrist and started dragging her back through the forest toward the direction the herd was in. He was one of Connor's friends, Norn! He was a fierce bull elk that was almost as cruel as Connor.

"Let me go!" Misa struggled against his grip, his hand tight on her wrist, making the bruise throb painfully.

"You're lucky no one else but the bulls saw you." Norn looked down at her, tugging her along with him. "We were able to convince the herd that the wolves took you. Now you can come back and be Connor's mate without anyone knowing you ran away." He said it as if he was doing her a favor.

"I'm not going back!" Misa struggled against him, kicking at him until she caught him in the shin, making him let out an angry bellow and throw her against a tree. She felt the world spin for a moment before she collapsed onto her knees in the snow, holding her head as it throbbed painfully. She heard a roar of anger and looked up to see a flash of silver as a wolf dove for Norn, the man shifting to his elk form, a strong and powerful bull with a wide rack of antlers he lowered to impale the wolf.

"No!" Misa yelled, trying to stand up only to fall back down as her head spun. "Be careful, Garu!"

Garu glanced over his shoulder at her and huffed in acknowledgment, his ears flipped back and teeth bared in a snarl as he turned back toward the elk. Norn charged toward him with a loud bellow, his antlers lowered dangerously toward Garu, but the wolf leaped upwards at the right moment, using a tree to twist himself back around and sink his teeth into Norn's neck, fangs sinking through fur.

Norn raised up and let out a screech of pain and anger, shaking his head and kicking his hooves out in his struggle to dislodge the wolf. The other wolves had arrived now, circling around the battle and howling encouragement to their leader. The elk finally shook Garu off, who flew through the air and twisted himself around so he landed on his feet, fangs dripping with the elk's blood.

Norn shook himself as blood poured down his neck, his eyes darting around nervously at the wolves that surrounded him. He looked back Garu as the wolf snapped his teeth at him mockingly, licking his lips as if getting ready for a meal. The elk looked back toward Misa, who was still lying on the ground, trying not to get sick as the world twisted and turned around her. Norn sneered toward Garu before running toward Misa, making the wolves around them yell out in anger. Gleddon and Leira had shifted to their wolf forms and ran in front of Misa, the large black wolf and a brown and white wolf bristling and snarling angrily at the elk in warning.

Norn stopped his charge, trotting back around to see Garu's eyes blazing with anger at the move he had made. The wolf's fur was raised on end, making him look much fiercer than before. Norn realized now that Garu had been being merciful on him- only snapping at him as a warning... but his attack on Misa had ended that. Garu charged toward him, darting back and forth along his path so that Norn didn't know which way he was going to come from before the wolf latched himself onto the bottom of Norn's neck, tearing flesh away and shoving the elk to the ground with a fierce snarl. He ripped with claws and teeth until Norn bellowed in fear, kicking at the wolf.

"No, Garu stop!" Misa yelled, making the wolf stop his attack. He looked over to Misa to see her staring at him with wide pleading eyes, and was struck once again by the beauty of those eyes. They calmed his rage, the red haze seeping from his vision as he looked down at the panting elk lying on the ground in front of him. He shifted to his human form, stepping a foot onto the elk's neck and pressing down painfully onto the wound. "The only reason you're not dead today is because Misa wished it." He snarled down at Norn. He lifted his foot from Norn, allowing the elk to shift back into his human form and run off toward the herd.

Gleddon and Leira moved to the side as Garu walked over to Misa, kneeling in front of her and looking at her head with determined eyes. He saw a dark gash on the back of her head, the blood staining her white hair crimson. He let out a fierce growl at the sight, glaring back in the direction the elk had gone. "Letting him go may have been unwise. I want to rip his throat out again." He muttered, looking down at Misa. "You are badly hurt. Can you walk?"

Misa stood, the world tilting until she fell back against the tree, holding her head. "I'm not sure." She said breathlessly, hating to look weak in front of all these wolves.

"Should I go after him?" Gleddon let out a low angry growl of his own after shifting to human form.

"No, let him show Connor what happens to those who try to take Misa back to the herd. I didn't know they would do this to her." He said before hooking an arm under Misa's legs, his other arm at her back as he lifted her into his arms. She let out a small gasp of surprise at the movement, her face flushing red as he carried her over to the clearing, the other wolves grumbling angry around them that the elk had gotten away with doing such a thing.

He brought her over to the female tent, setting her down on the soft pelts before kneeling behind her to get a better of her injury. He leaned her against him and Misa couldn't help a blush when she felt his muscular chest against her back.

"I-I thought males weren't allowed in here." Misa stammered, trying to distract herself from the warmth of him behind her. This was so wrong- to like the warmth of a wolf, it was like flirting with death.

"This is a special occasion. I'm sure Leira will let me in here this once." He muttered grumpily, moving her hair to the side before taking a wrapping he had on his arm and dabbing the blood off her head with it. She winced from the touch and he muttered an apology before dabbing softer and folding the wrapping up to become a bandage, pressing it against the wound. "Besides that rule is usually only enforced at night." he said softer, taking another wrapping off his other arm and winding it around her head to help keep the bandage in place. He looked at his work and let out a small unhappy sigh that he had to cover up her pretty hair. Hopefully she would heal quickly so it would be free again.

"Why did he do that to you?" he asked, his tone light but the question important. Was that a normal thing, for her to be thrown around and injured on a whim?

"He does that to all females." Misa said darkly. "That's partially why I ran away. To be mated to Connor would mean a life of abuse and misery. I wasn't going to live through that. I would rather risk my life in the wilderness and hope another herd will take me than be there a moment longer." She held up her bruised wrist, the black and blue hand print from yesterday telling more than words could.

Garu let out an angry growl, the sound rumbling through his chest against Misa's back. "I didn't know." He said simply, anger making his words rough. "How can they be so cruel? Is it because you are an albino?"

"I'm not sure." Misa shook her head. "I know other women were treated as I was, so I don't think that was the only thing. In fact I think my coloring saved me a few times from being abused further because he didn't want to hurt me too much and risk my health."

Misa felt Garu let out another angry growl before feeling his arms wrap around her protectively, holding her against his chest. "No one's going to take you, Misa. I won't let you go back to the herd knowing that they'll hurt you." He said, his mouth close to her shoulder.

Misa shivered at the close contact to him, trying not to show how it affected her. Why was her heart beating so fast when she wasn't afraid of him? Her face was turning red from his breath against her neck, and she was very aware of every inch of him pressing against her. "T-thank you." She managed to stammer out through her fuzzy mind.

Garu held her like that for another few moments before realizing what he was doing and letting her go, his yellow eyes a riot of emotions. "Are you feeling better?" He asked, his voice gruff.

"Yes, I think so." Misa said softly, feeling cold again. "I think if I get some rest I should be fine. Everything's stopped spinning, now. My head just hurts where it got cut."

Garu nodded, standing and stalking out of the tent. He paused at the flap of the tent, risking one last look back at her as she curled up in the pelts, then walked out of the tent and searched for Gleddon. He needed to talk to his beta... he was starting to be attracted to the doe, which seemed... strange. A wolf shouldn't feel these things for his prey, yet every time he scented her he didn't think of prey, he thought of... well, he was attracted to her. Something needed to be done about Connor, as well. Even if he vowed not to let Misa go back to the herd, he hated the idea of the women there being abused by such a tyrant. He had known Connor was cruel, but to hurt women- especially one he intended to take as his mate- was beyond reason. Usually shifters didn't interfere in each other's packs or herds, but... this was going too far.


	4. Strange Urges

Connor looked up as Norn came back into the field, panting for breath before falling onto a snow bank. He ran over to his friend, shocked to see the large elk covered in cuts and scrapes, his throat ravaged at both the front and back. "What happened to you? Where's Misa?"

"The alpha attacked me." Norn groaned in pain, his voice raspy. "He ripped my throat apart. Said the only reason he let me live was because Misa stopped him." He fell onto the snowbank again, gasping for air.

Connor looked in the direction of the wolf pack with wide eyes. He had expected them to give Misa up quickly, especially when an elk the size of Norn would show up. Perhaps he had underestimated the wolves... especially their alpha. The wolf seemed so small compared to the elk, yet obviously he was a skilled fighter to take Norn down singlehandedly.

The nerve of that woman running off like she did from the bridal tent. She had taken the damn dress with her, too. Luckily only a few bulls had seen her run off, and he had been able to explain her disappearance to the rest of the herd. He had spun a tragic tale of how the wolves had captured the white doe, preparing to eat the poor creature. The herd had been bemoaning her loss, most of them not expecting to ever see her again. He had sent Norn out to the pack to hope for a heroic rescue... but obviously that had backfired.

"We need to stop them." Connor glared at the forest. "Misa is the white doe- we have to get her back. I won't let her embarrass me like this!"

Norn looked up at the dominant bull with a frown. "The wolves aren't going to just let her go. I kind of... well see when the alpha attacked me I had kind of thrown her against a tree. He didn't like that. She kicked me, though! Anyway, I thought maybe I could distract him by attacking her again while she was down, but the other wolves stopped me... and he went for my throat."

"You what?!" Connor brought a hand back and knocked the larger man across the face with a hard fist. "You were supposed to bring her back safely, not hurt her! You idiot!"

"She kicked me! What was I supposed to do, let her keep hitting me?" Norn snorted in disdain. "Besides, it's not like they'll care for her. She's an elk after all. She's their prey. They're only keeping her for the land. Maybe if we just give it back, we'll just-"

"We're not giving the land back." Connor raised a fist to hit Norn again before he got an idea, lowering his fist as he thought. "Maybe... maybe we don't have to get her back ourselves." He looked down at Norn in disdain. "Your idiocy may be to our advantage after all. Maybe if you come back to the herd and say you tried to rescue Misa and barely got away with your life, they'll agree to attack as a single group. We'll go on the offensive... and take the entire pack out in the process."

"Attack the wolves?" Norn gasped. "That's... that's against the shifter code. We'll be rogues! Our herd will be excised from the counsel!"

"We don't need the counsel. They're just a bunch of old men who think they know better than everyone else." Connor sneered. "We'll take care of this ourselves. The less the counsel knows the better. Or do you want them investigating the herd?" He gave Norn a critical eye. If the counsel came sniffing around, they'd find the abuse the women had to live under, and the control Connor held over the herd. He would probably be forced out of his position... and that wasn't going to happen.

"Ready the herd. Tell them the wolves have gone wild and have captured Misa in exchange for our land- and nearly killed you when you tried to stop them. That should get them riled up enough to consider our plan." Connor smiled.

* * *

Garu found Gleddon readying another pelt for drying, the fresh prey already skinned and ready for cooking tonight. He looked at the deer hide uneasily, suddenly feeling anxious about Misa seeing such a thing. What should she think?  
Agh, who cared what she thought? Wolves ate deer, it was the natural order of things. She was an elk- she knew that already.

"We need to talk." Garu said gruffly behind Gleddon. The black wolf turned around, raising an eyebrow at his frustration.

"What has you wound up so tight, alpha?" Gleddon said casually, continuing to work on the pelt, scraping the back of the skin with a stone so it would dry cleanly.

"I... I am feeling things. Things I shouldn't feel." Garu growled, his embarrassment making him want to lash out at something. "I don't know what to do."

Gleddon paused in his work, looking over his shoulder at Garu. "Feelings? What kind of feelings?"

Garu grumbled a bit, shifting from foot to foot uneasily before saying. "I'm attracted to the doe. I'm a wolf- she is prey. It's unnatural, and yet I can't help it."

Gleddon let out a deep sigh, putting down the stone and turning around. "I was afraid of that." He said, walking over to a lot and motioning for Garu to sit beside him.

Garu stalked over, sitting down and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I can't stop thinking about it- she has such long white hair, and her eyes are amazing, and-" He put a hand over his face in frustration and shame. "I sound like a lovesick pup."

"You do." Gleddon said in agreement, chuckling when Garu elbowed him in annoyance. "I have a few questions for you before we continue talking about this. The first is, do you feel protective of her simply because she was hurt, or because you don't like that someone would treat her badly?"

Garu snorted. "Not much of a difference." He grumbled. "I don't want anyone to treat her badly. Including me. I'm not the best for her- I'm a wolf. It would never work."

Gleddon let out a little hum of interest before continuing. "Why do you care that she's a doe? Does it really matter all that much when you feel this way?"

Garu gave him a frustrated and harassed look. "Of course it matters. I don't want her to be scared of me. I have fangs and claws and she's just a little white doe. What if I go hunting and she sees me take down a buck? What if I take down a cousin of hers on accident? I wouldn't know." Garu ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "I don't want her to look at me the same way she looked at Norn. That look tore me up, Gleddon. I almost killed the guy just because of the way she looked at him."

"He was an asshole, in your defense." Gleddon shrugged. "He threw her against a tree. I wanted to rip him apart myself, but you seemed to be doing a fine job of it without me. Last question. Do you feel the mating pull?"

Garu looked at him in shock at the question. "I can't feel the pull for someone who's not a wolf." He protested. He looked forward into the forest for a minute after thinking... and doubting. "Right?" he looked back to Gleddon nervously.

"The mating pull is something only wolves seem to experience yes, but... I'm not sure if non-wolves can feel it as well under certain circumstances. Only one in the pack has ever heard of an interspecies mating, but it may be difficult to get information out of him about it."

Garu let out a low grumble at the idea. "Making Ichin try to talk about something is like taking down a wild boar."

"I know- but he's the only one who would have that knowledge. You didn't answer my question though- do you feel it?"

Garu shook his head. "I don't even know what the mating pull feels like, Gleddon."

"It's an insatiable need to be with the person. It's a need to be with them emotionally, and physically. Until the physical part is satisfied, your instinct will just drive you further and further until you both clash together in a way that may not be quite so acceptable to her." He said uneasily. "It's best to deal with it earlier rather than later. If you do indeed feel the pull, then you'll have to be careful, Garu. She isn't a wolf- and she's not as strong as we are. She won't understand what the bite means, she won't understand the importance of scent and she won't understand why you're so insistent on the matter."

Garu let out a low moan of agony. "If I do feel the mating pull, and she is my chosen mate... that is going to make this very messy." She was already supposedly Connor's mate. How did such a little thing get in such big trouble like this? Probably because of that stupid prophecy.

"It will make a lot of things very messy. I'm not sure everyone in the pack will appreciate their alpha taking a non-wolf as the alpha female." Gleddon shrugged. "I'm fine with it- and I know Leira is, but you know how some wolves can be so traditional."

Garu nodded, letting out a deep sigh. "So what do I do?"

"Just get to know her." Gleddon shrugged. "If she comes to like you, then that's fine. If you find you don't feel the mating pull and it doesn't work out, then problem solved."

"And if I do find I feel the mating pull, and she doesn't come to like me?" Garu looked over to Gleddon uneasily.

"Then we'll be talking more." Gleddon said simply. "There's no easy solution to this, Garu. Just take it a day at a time and keep Misa protected. That's all anyone can ask of you at this point."

Garu nodded, putting a hand on his beta's shoulder affectionately as he stood. "Thank you, Gleddon."

"No problem, my alpha." Gleddon grinned. "Who knew you'd have such a soft spot for someone who practically chewed your head off the first time you met her?" he snickered.

"Kind of what I like about her, honestly." Garu grumbled with a blush before walking back toward the clearing.


	5. Mating Pull

Leira went to check on Misa, finding her sleeping in the tent, wrapped in pelts. She seemed to be dreaming of something, holding a pelt close to her face and inhaling the scent there while muttering. Leira chuckled for a moment at the doe's adorable sleeping state before scenting the fur she was clutching to. If she didn't know any better, that smelled like Garu. She gave an annoyed look toward the entrance that her alpha had come into the female's tent without her knowing, but figured he had only done so to take care of Misa. What she was more curious about was why the doe was clutching to his scent like that. It didn't seem like a very elk-like thing to do.

"Misa-" Leira shook her gently, waking the doe. "I need to check on your wound."

Misa woke with an ungraceful snort, looking up to see Misa and sitting up, holding her head. "Hello, Leira." She said, smiling. "Thank you for checking on me, but I do feel better. Garu put a bandage on."

"Which looks almost soaked through." Leira pointed to it. "Perhaps I should change it for you."

Misa nodded, sitting up to give the wolf better access to her bandage. Leira had brought more bandages, unwrapping the blood soaked ones and using the clean portions to wipe the rest of the blood from her hair.

"So." Leira said idly while working. "Do elk usually take such pleasure in people's scents like that?"

"What?" Misa looked back to Leira in confusion.

Leira pushed her back so she was facing forward again. "You were clinging to a fur that smelled like Garu in your sleep. Do you... have feelings for him?"

"I only just met him yesterday." Misa flushed, wondering why she had done such a thing. Sure he was handsome and he had saved her from Norn... but she hardly knew him.

"Mmm, true." Leira said skeptically. "Stranger things have happened, though. When wolves meet mates, they often know right away whether they have feelings for them or not."

"I'm not a wolf, Leira. In case you forgot." Misa's flush continued to deepen when she thought of Garu as a mate. He was a wolf- it wasn't right... yet she thought of his broad tanned chest, the silver hair and those piercing eyes and shivered. Oh, what was she going to do? She shouldn't be thinking these things!

"No, you're not... but Garu is." Leira continued talking lightly, as if none of this was a big deal. "Perhaps you should think about it. Don't write him entirely off just because you're different species. While it's rare for it to happen, it's not impossible."

"But an elk and a wolf?" Misa scoffed. "It would be different if it was two predators or two prey. It just seems so... strange."

"Do you really think of yourself as prey?" Leira chuckled. "From when he first introduced you to us, I saw you stand toe to toe with him when he thought to exchange you for the land. I'd never seen anyone do that to him before." She chuckled at the memory.

"Yeah well..." Misa grumbled. "I don't like being thought of as nothing more than something to be bartered with."

"I can assure you he doesn't think that." Leira grinned wryly, finishing her work. "Perhaps you should tell him how you feel. It wouldn't hurt."

Wouldn't hurt? Misa scoffed at the idea. She liked Garu- he was sweet and kind, if not a bit rough around the edges. She didn't want to mess up the friendship they had just started.

"Just think about it." Leira patted her shoulder before standing up. "Oh by the way, do elk eat meat? Dinner's ready. If not I'm sure Garu would be willing to go with you to find what you want to eat."

Misa hadn't thought about that. They were wolves- of course they ate meat. It was probably deer, too. She shivered at the idea and nodded. "I'll go talk to Garu."

* * *

Garu had already eaten his fill by the time Misa found him, wiping his mouth off on his arm.  
"Um..." Her small uneasy voice said from behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to see her staring at the remains of the deer over the fire as the other wolves ate. This was what he had been afraid of... how would she react?

"So, I don't really eat... meat." She eyed the carcass uneasily. "So I was wondering if you could go with me as I find some other things to eat? I don't really want to wander around alone after... after Norn."

He looked back at the carcass and over to her, surprised she wasn't acting more disgusted by it. He smiled and nodded, waving to Gleddon that he was leaving before joining her in her walk through the forest as the sun started setting in the sky. "What do you usually eat, anyway?" He looked around the forest, not knowing what was good for her or not.

"Wild vegetables, fruits, sometimes grasses." She said, picking a few berries off a bush, taking some leaves off a plant that grew from the ground. "Sometimes I turn elk and just eat my fill if food is scarce." She chuckled. "That way I just have to have grass. Sometimes just bark if the season is rough."

Garu stuck his tongue out in disgust at the idea of eating bark. "I wouldn't think that would taste very good."

"It doesn't." Misa chuckled. "This is rather good, though." She smiled when she found rose hips. "Thes are my favorite this time of year." She popped a few in her mouth and chewed happily. She handed one to Garu, who took a small bite out of it and made a face of disgust before spitting it back out. The expression made Misa laugh, feeling more at ease within him than she had ever felt with anyone from her own herd.

"Does everything taste like flowers and dirt?" Garu complained, wiping his tongue on his hand to get the taste out of his mouth.

Misa only laughed again, eating more of the rose hips. "No, does everything taste like blood and bone? I should ask you the same thing."

Garu gave her an amused smile, looking up in a tree to see pine cones still in a tree. It was still early winter, so many of the pines hadn't let their cones fall yet. Misa looked up as well, letting out a small noise of disappointment. "Oh, that's too high up." She said with a pout.

Garu looked up at the tree, shifting into his wolf form and bounding from tree to tree before he was on a branch laden with pine cones. He started grabbing them off the branch with his teeth, throwing them down the Misa below. She laughed happily at the sight of a wolf harvesting pine cones for her, and before long she was holding an armful of them. He jumped back down, looking at the cones curiously. "I didn't know you could eat those." He wondered how she would actually eat them. They looked so hard and unforgiving.

"They have nuts in them." Misa chuckled at his curious look. "Watch." She looked around and found a flat rock, taking one of the pine cones and knocking it against the rock, small shelled nuts falling out from between the pieces of cone. She tore one of the shells open and held it up to Garu for him to see. "See? They're pine nuts. They're really good but usually I can't reach them. Thank you." She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek in thanks, then leaned back in shock at what she had just done, her face turning red with embarrassment.

Garu stared at her for a moment, his yellow eyes wide before he stalked closer to her, following her backwards until her back ran into a tree. He let out a deep growl that rumbled through his chest as he pressed against her gently, the sound making Misa bite her lip anxiously.

"Why do I feel this way about you?" Garu growled out in frustration, looking down at her with intensely heated golden eyes. "I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't, and yet I do."

Misa's eyes widened in realization that he felt the same attraction to her as she felt to him. It was... empowering. She had just as much control over this wolf as he did over her. She wanted to bring him to his knees, make him cry out in pleasure and revel in the fact that she could do so whenever she wanted. She may be an elk- she may be his prey, but she could still make her wolf beg.

Her wolf- was that really how she felt? When did that happen? "We only just met yesterday." She said, her breathless voice unfamiliar to her own ears. "I don't understand it either."

Garu looked down at her in shock. "Then you feel the same thing?" He asked, his tone astonished and filled with... was that hope? He was actually hoping she felt the way he did?

Instead of answering him with words, she tugged the collar of the hide he was wearing, bringing his lips down to hers in a deep and passionate kiss. He let out a low rumble of approval that vibrated through him, wrapping his arms around her as he deepened the embrace. She traced her tongue along his fangs, shivering at the feeling of how sharp they were before they matched intensity, Garu pressing her up against the tree until they had to break for air, both of them panting for breath. The pine cones lay forgotten in the snow as the wolf went in for another kiss, his time dragging a hand through her white hair as he ravaged her mouth.

Misa felt the heat she had experienced earlier rush through her in a wave of inferno, making her pale skin flush pink as she hooked a leg over his hip, the move instinctual as she struggled to get closer to him. He moved his hand from her hair to hold the leg, pressing her up against the tree and grabbed the other leg as well, hiking it up to join the other. She wrapped her ankles around his back, the movement opening her up to him as he moaned against her mouth.

She gripped his silver hair from the intensity of the heat rushing through her, her hips seeming to move of their own accord against him so that he broke the kiss, looking down at her in question. She knew what question he was asking- and only smiled heatedly, her mouth going for his neck. She nipped and kissed the skin above his pulse so that he groaned in agonizing pleasure, his head going back to give her better access to his skin. He pumped his hips against her, his hard length running along her through the pelts that covered them. The feeling of him against her made her gasp, panting against his neck and gripping him tight as pleasure rushed through her. "Please-" She gasped, returning to bite at his skin, loving the shudder that went through him every nip she made.

"Misa-" Garu growled against her, running his mouth along her soft hair before hearing someone approaching behind them. He tensed and let out a fierce growl, holding Misa against him tightly in protection.

"Garu? Misa? Where did you go? We're ready for the howl." Gleddon's voice called out through the forest.

Garu froze, still breathing heavily into her hair as he realized what had just happened. He let her slide to the ground, her legs unwrapping from his waist and leaving him feeling bereft and cold. "Sorry- I didn't mean to jump you like that." He growled low and husky, still unable to move his mouth from her skin. He couldn't seem to stop touching her, even know he knew they had to get back to the others.

"I'm the one that kissed you." Misa smiled seducively up to him, making his blood heat again. "And I don't regret a moment of it. I don't understand this strange pull I feel to you, but I know it's not fake. I can't stop thinking about you... every moment I think about you." She confessed, moving forward to lick his collarbone in a small touch, making another shiver run through him.

"We have to get back to the others." His voice sounded strained even to his own ears. "The howl- it's... I have to be in charge of it. Alpha." He couldn't seem to string words together properly as she kissed his chest again.

"Mmm, yes. You are the alpha. We should get back." Misa smiled wickedly and moved back, touching her finger to his nose. "I do love getting a rise out of you, Garu. If we're going to really try this... just know I'm not going to just roll on my back for you whenever you want."

"I wouldn't want you to be like that." Garu growled happily, amazed that this was even happening. What would the others think, though? Part of him didn't give a shit about what the others thought. He was alpha, he would do whatever he damn well pleased... but that sounded more like Connor than him.

"We'll discuss this further after the howl." He set his forehead against hers affectionately. "There's a lot to talk about if we're going to be serious about this."

Misa bit her lip nervously but nodded, the motion making his forehead rock against hers. They finally broke their embrace, Garu helping Misa adjust her dress and smooth down her hair so that it didn't look like she had gotten attacked by a wolf... which she had.

They finally made their way back to the camp, Misa picking up her pine cones and rose hips she had dropped into the snow.


	6. The Vision

The wolves had made a large fire, the remains of the deer carcass set aside away from the group as Garu let Misa sit down beside Gleddon before moving over to the fire. She felt a bit self conscious, wondering how obvious it was that they had been kissing. Gleddon's eyebrows furrowed next to her, and he sniffed the air before looking at her in surprise, but smiled. He gave her a knowing wink before looking back to his alpha, a grin on his face.

Misa couldn't help but flush deeply that Gleddon had been able to smell it on her. Well, at least the beta seemed to be okay with it. She looked up at Garu as he called everyone's attention.

"The howl is an ancient ritual done on the night of the new moon- when the night is at its darkest and the stars shine brightest in the sky." Garu said loudly so everyone could hear. "Stories are told on this night- old tales from times long past. We have all heard the stories by now, but we have a new visitor." He motioned toward Misa, who flushed as everyone looked to her. "Those who wish to hear a story never told to wolves before, let your voices be heard."

Gleddon was the first to send up a long howl into the night, followed by Leira and one by one the rest of the wolves joined in. Garu let his own loud how carry the melancholy notes of the wolf into the night air before they ended and looked at her expectantly. Garu moved from the side of the fire, motioning for her to take his place.

She stood nervously, her hands gripping the skirt at her sides anxiously before she stood where he had been, looking at all of the wolves around her. "I've never been much of a story teller, but I'll do my best." She smiled weakly.

"It was long ago that my father, the previous head bull of our herd fell to the claws of a great beast of the north. The winter had been harsh, the snow deep and cold. Even in our elk forms we could barely trudge through the thick snows that covered the lands, many of us so hungry we could barely walk. My father had made a system where each elk took a turn in leading the herd, digging a rift through the drifts so that the other elks could follow and walk easily through the path made.

He and my mother were in the back of the herd when we heard a great cry come from the north- a huge creature erupted from the forest on wings of white and gold. My mother told me to lie in the snow and cover my nose and hooves in the drift, making me all but invisible in the snows as the creature attacked. It was merciless, taking elk after elk in its great talons, jaws eating them quickly. First he took my father- who tried valiantly to fight against him, wounding the creature in the face with his great antlers. Then Connor's parents- his father protecting his mother until both were taken. It was silent after that, the only sounds were the bleating of confused elk as they ran for cover around me. I didn't look up, I didn't dare to. I could feel the presence of the great creature still near me, and then I felt its breath against my back. I knew it had seen me, and he knew what I was. I looked up at him- great blue eyes peering back at me curiously. I thought in that moment he was going to devour me like he had my parents, but... he let me live.

The creature took off, rising into the air on his great wings before spouting a flame at the ground. He let the fires roar from his mouth until he had created a path through the deepest parts of the snow in the mountain pass. I never understood why he had done that, but it saved our lives. That winter we had lost the strongest bulls of our herd, but we lived." She sighed at the memory, her heard growing sad at the chaos that had erupted afterwards. Connor had grown cold and bitter from his parents' death, and fought every male in the herd until he had insisted he was the new head bull.

The wolves sat in stunned silence, their yellow eyes wide as they gazed at her.

"I believe... the elk herd encountered a dragon." The grizzled old wolf in the back of the pack spoke up. "I have heard of such creatures, but never have I seen one."

"It was terrible... I don't know why he did what he did, and I'm not sure why he helped us after destroying some of our herd." Misa shook her head I dismay. "We've never gone through that pass since." She felt her head start to throb suddenly, a hand raising her her forehead from the pain. She swayed a bit as her vision seemed to close in from the sides suddenly, the wolves letting out sounds of shock as she fell to the snow.

" _The wolves have captured my mate!" Connor shouted as the herd gathered in front of him. "Norn has bravely tried to save her, but was beaten and left to die by the savages. Are we going to let such beasts live on our doorstep near our children? What if they get a taste of elk? Will we let them ravage our herd like the great beast of the north?"_

 _The herd cried out in anger at the mention of the beast. "We will not let it happen again! We should destroy anyone who tries to stand against us!" A bull elk cried out._

" _My thoughts exactly." Connor grinned, pleased that one of the bulls had spoken out so directly. "We should attack them- take out the pack! We will show them that predators should fear their prey!"_

 _The herd cheered in agreement, bulls shaking their antlers._

 _"We will kill the alpha, and all those who stand with him. We will take back my mate, and the herd will be strong once again!"_

 _The elk traveled through the forest, bulls charging through the trees until they found the wolf pack. It was early in the morning, most of the wolves were still inside the designated tents of each gender. Misa yelled in shock at the sight of all the elk, her cry cut off as one turned human and covered a hand over her mouth- it was Connor!_

 _He gave her a wicked smile before forcing her to watch the elk slay the wolves as they slept, the female tent filled with bodies before they attacked the male tent. Yips and cries sounded from within, wolves coming running out of the tent, many with injuries. Gleddon was limping, one of his front legs badly broken as he fought off an elk bull in front of him. Garu was easily dispatching elks that tried to fight him, jumping into their necks and shaking them until the elk fell to the ground._

 _He looked up to see Connor holding Misa and let out a fierce growl, charging toward them._

 _"A-ah." Connor smiled his denial to the attack. He held a blade up to Misa's neck, the sharp stone cutting into Misa's pale skin and causing a drip of crimson blood to pour down her neck._

 _Garu stopped in his tracks, watching with desperation at the blade before baring his teeth to Connor in anger._

 _"Shift, wolf." Connor said darkly to Garu._

 _Garu obeyed, shifting to his human form, his yellow eyes terrified as he watched Misa. "You have no honor, Connor." He growled. "Holding a woman captive like this."_

 _"Honor is overrated. I much prefer results." He smiled, Misa letting out a cry of horror as Norn charged toward Garu from behind. The elk shoved his antlers into Garu's chest, the long tines sticking out of the front as he looked down in shock at his own injuries. Misa screamed in agony as blood trickled from his mouth, looking at her with sadness before Norn took his antlers out of the wolf, letting him fall face first into the snow._

 _Misa tore herself from Connor, no longer caring as the knife cut a shallow cut in her throat. She threw herself to the ground in front of Garu, turning him over as he gasped for breath._

 _"Oh, Garu." She sobbed sadly, knowing the wolf wouldn't be able to recover from such terrible wounds._

 _He looked up at Misa, a sad smile on his face as he reached up, running his fingers along her cheek affectionately. "I'm sorry, my mate." He said softly, coughing blood before wheezing terribly._

 _"Ssssh, don't say anything." Misa whispered soothingly. "You have nothing to be sorry for. We had last night, right?" She said, smiling weakly down to her wolf._

 _Garu smiled warmly up to her, looking down to her stomach and resting a hand there gently. "Yeah..." He looked back up to her and coughed again, turning his head so he wouldn't get his blood on her. "Misa-" He said, his voice urgent. "I need to tell you. I- I know it hasn't been long since we've known each other, but I-" he coughed again._

 _"Ssssh." Misa put a finger over his mouth. "I know." She whispered with a soft smile. "I love you too."_

 _Garu smiled one last time before letting out a long breath, his body going limp in her arms. Misa looked down in horror at his body, a soft sob coming from her before a shadow loomed over her._

 _"What is this?" Connor looked down at her in disgust. "You and the wolf? Are you serious? How disgusting. Don't tell me you actually mated with this savage."_

 _Misa shook with rage at his words, his cruelty knowing no bounds. "Yes, I mated with him! He's my mate, and you killed him." She shouted angrily at him. "I want no place in this herd. I want nothing to do with you."_

 _"Oh?" Connor tilted his head. "You won't come with me, then? Are you with fawn?"_

 _Misa put a hand over her stomach protectively. She didn't know honestly, but she hoped so. Some piece of Garu would live on. Her child would be raised to honor the memory of its father._

 _"Ugh." Connor recoiled at the idea. "Well, in that case." He moved forward, flipping the knife in his hand and stabbing her in the stomach. Pain flared through her, overwhelming her senses as tears streamed down her cheeks. Connor twisted the knife within her cruelly, then took it out. He held her against him by the shoulders, whispering "If I can't have you, no one will." before letting her fall to the snow next to Garu. He dropped the knife beside her and motioned for the bulls around him to head back toward the herd, leaving the dead behind lying on the snow._

 _Misa turned her head, looking at Garu's body and sobbed, feeling the blood pour out of her into the snow below. She moved painfully to be closer to him, scooting in the snow until she could clasp his still warm hand within her own, closing her eyes and letting death take her._

"Misa!" Garu's panicked voice cut through the fog of her mind as her vision started clearing, finding herself in Garu's arms with the rest of the wolves surrounding her, looking at her in concern. She looked up at Garu, seeing his face etched with concern, but still held the color of life. She let out a soft sob and wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder from whatever it was that she had seen.

Garu looked around the pack, but no one said anything in protest to the embrace, so Garu wrapped his arms around her as well, comforting her. "What's wrong?" He rubbed her back with a hand to try to calm her down.

Misa moved back, shaking her head. She couldn't bear the say the words. She wanted to forget whatever she had seen. It had been terrible... and so real. Was that the sort of visions she was supposed to have? It was more of a a curse than a gift.

If she stayed here... if she mated with Garu, all the wolves would be killed. She looked around at all the faces around her, those she had come to care for in the few short days she had been among them. They were more caring and noble than any in the elk herd. Who would have known that such fierce predators would be so compassionate.

She would have to make this right. Connor was hell bent on getting her back. If he had to kill the pack to do so, then he would. She couldn't let that happen. What should she do, though? If she went back to Connor, she would deny Garu and live a life of misery... but at least he would be alive.

She closed her eyes in pain at the thought of being without him, not realizing she had gotten so close to the wolf in the little time they had together. She had to do the right thing... but she couldn't let Garu know. He would never let her go back, and he would never leave her alone if he knew she had went back for that reason. She... she had to make him hate her. It was the only way.

She slowly pulled away from his grip, turning away from him as the wolves backed up upon seeing she was alright. "I... don't feel good. I should go rest." She said, her voice shaking with emotion.

"I'll come with you." Garu insisted, moving forward to grab her hand gently.

Misa couldn't resist the pleading look in his eyes. She nodded silently, letting him head her toward the female tent again, stepping inside with her.

"What happened?" He asked, reaching up to hold her face gently as he looked her over for any sign of sickness or injury.

"Nothing. I just... got dizzy." Misa whispered, tearing herself away from his hands. He looked at her in confusion at the movement, but dropped his hands to his sides.

"Are you... okay?" He asked, stepping forward with a hand raised, but remembered her denial and lowered it again, his eyes sad.

"I'm fine, Garu." She wrapped her arms around herself to try and gain the strength she needed to do this. The strange warmth was still within her, pulsing softly within her chest as if in protest of what she was going to do. "We can't be together, Garu." She said, her voice shaking. 

"W-what?" Garu frowned in confusion. "But I thought-"

"You were wrong." She whispered. "I was wrong. It will never work. Come on, an elk and a wolf? It's insane." She chuckled weakly as if it were a joke.

"But earlier... earlier we almost-" He stepped back, as if not believing what she was saying.

"Can't a girl have some fun without expecting anything from it?" Misa scoffed. "I had my fun here. I wanted to get away from the herd for a while. I wanted to know what it would be like to be with a wolf." She eyed him, hating to see the pain in his eyes from her words, so she looked away again. "It was fun, but I think it's time for me to go back."

"Go back?" Garu growled. "To Connor? To that abuse?"

Misa scoffed. "Maybe some of us like a bit of pain." She shrugged. "Makes things more exciting." She was starting to feel sick from what she was doing, her stomach recoiling at the idea of being with Connor. "I'm still in the bridal dress, he'll take me back if I leave tonight."

Garu stood in the tent, staring at her in disbelief. "You really expect me to believe you want to go back to him? I saw what Norn did to you."

"Norn was a bit over the top, yes." She winced at the ache that still came from the back of her head. "But Connor is much more gentle with his pain- he just leaves bruises, not cuts. They heal quick enough."

Garu let out a sound of disgust, backing up from her. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. There's no way."

"Believe it, wolf." She had to drive this home. She had to finish this... "I kissed you because I wanted to know what wolf tasted like. It's not as good. Sorry, but that's how it is." She waved a hand disissively at him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to the herd. My mate is waiting for me."

She walked past Garu, who stood staring at the ground, shaking with rage. She couldn't stand to see him so hurt, especially from her own words... he didn't know it was for his own good. He ignored Gleddon's confused shout when she walked into the forest toward the herd, leaving the wolves behind.


	7. Invasion

Misa entered the clearing of the herd, looking over to see them all gathered toward the front of the clearing. Some of the does turned to see her, voices gasping in realization when they recognized her. Some ran over to her, looking her over and mistaking her tears for relief. She felt as if a piece of herself had died... having to reject Garu like that was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do, and the worst part is that she still felt that warmth what had settled into her when he first saved her from Norn.

She looked up as Connor came running up to her, the women moving back to make room for him as he looked her over.

"What happened?" he feigned concern, his eyes hard as he looked her over.

"I ran away." Misa whispered, trying to sound sincere. "I came back because I couldn't stand to be among wolves for any longer. I came back... to be your mate."

Connor stared at her for a long moment, a triumphant smile creeping over his face. "Misa has escaped from the wolves! She has come back to take her place at my side as my mate!" Connor shouted to the herd, who cheered happily at the news.

"You made a wise decision, Misa." Connor smiled down to her, his expression hard and cruel. "Now we'll just make sure you won't be able to run off again."

Misa gasped as he led her back over to the bridal tent, going inside and taking a long cloth, tying her wrists to the pole that held up the tent. "Please, Connor- I won't leave, I promise." Misa struggled against the bond, not liking the direction this was taking.

"No, you won't." Connor sneered. "But I can't have you warning your wolf friends what's going to happen."

Misa stared at him in horror. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm tired of dealing with the wolf pack. It's time for us to get rid of them." He chuckled, as if it was amusing. "Your alpha friend will be a corpse on my antlers by the end of the day."

Misa cried out in horror that her action had done nothing to prevent Connor's decision, the bull elk just laughing at her pain as she cried. He walked out of the tent, his shouts calling out the same words from before. She heard the bulls galloping off into the forest and struggled against the bindings, tears stinging her eyes.

No no, this wasn't how it was supposed to go! Now Garu would be killed and she wouldn't even be there to see him again. She gritted her teeth in pain as her struggling started rubbing her wrists raw, the cloth digging into her skin.

A head peaked into the flap, gasping when they saw her tied up to the mast of the tent. "What's going on? I thought you agreed with mating him."

"Please! Please untie me, I'll do anything!" Misa cried, the doe gasping at the begging. She looked over her shoulder at the rest of the herd before slipping inside, running over behind Misa to untie her hands.

"I don't know what's happening, but I won't stand for this any longer. We've all seen how he treats you." She said, undoing the last knot and moving in front of Misa. "Why is he going to kill the wolves if you want to still get away?"

"Because it's insane." Misa shook her head. "I have to go. Tell the does to move the herd. They can't stay with Connor any longer. He'll drive them to starvation if he keeps this up. To find a counsel member and tell them what's happening. He's gone mad."

The woman nodded, running back out of the tent to tell the others. Misa darted out of the tent, taking her elk form as she ran through the forest as quickly as possible, hoping to make it to the pack in time, rain clouds gathering overhead.

* * *

Garu sat on a log in the forest, looking over at the pine cone and rose hips that still lay on the ground from earlier. He was so confused... so hurt. His heart twisted painfully in his chest as he thought back on Misa's words, not understanding the change that had happened. The feel of her soft skin haunted him, those pink and red eyes looking up at him with such affection... and then the strange mixture of sadness and pain as she rejected him.

"Garu." Leira said in concern, walking over to him. "Are you... okay?"

"No." Garu said simply, turning sad eyes to the wolfess. "Misa left. She's... gone."

"Why?" Leira gasped. "I thought you two..."

"I thought so too." Garu sad bitterly. "Apparently she was just here to satisfy some whim."

Leira shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe that. I talked to her Garu, she had real feelings for you. I think she may have been even feeling the pull."

Garu let out a sarcastic, sour laugh. "Apparently not."

Leira looked over to her alpha, not knowing what to do. Gleddon was better at dealing with emotions than she was, she just enforced the laws. She heard a bellow of a bull elk in the forest and looked over as Gleddon ran up to them.

"The elk are attacking the pack!" The black wolf gasped for breath. "Connor is leading them."

"What about Misa?" Garu looked over to Gleddon.

"I didn't see her." Gleddon shook his head. "But I saw her run off. What happened?"

"She left. She's Connor's mate, now." Garu looked away from the two pack mates. "Maybe we should just leave and let them have the land."

Gleddon growled and walked over, picking Garu up by the collar of his shirt until he was on his feet. "You're the alpha! Take care of your pack, Garu!"

Garu didn't do anything, looking up at Gleddon with emotionless eyes. "I'm not sure I can, Gleddon. I feel... broken."

Gleddon let Garu go, the silver wolf falling back to the ground with a grunt. "Then I'll protect our pack. If you can't do your job, at least someone can." he growled before running back in the direction of the pack tents, shifting to his wolf form.

Leira looked down at Garu in pity before shifting to her wolf form, bounding off after Gleddon.

Garu let out a long sigh, sagging against a tree and looking up as snow started falling from the sky, the flakes flurrying around him and making everything around him white.

* * *

"Go for the throat!" Gleddon shouted before jumping onto an elk's back, shifting his hands to claws as he tore at the creature's throat, the elk bleating in terror at the feeling. He rode the elk as it bucked, using its own antlers as a handle before the creature fell to the ground beneath him. He shifted to wolf, going after another elk before being knocked to the side.

He stood up, looking at his attacker to see Norn snorting with pain from the attack, his earlier wounds still giving him trouble. Gleddon let out a dark chuckle, relishing the chance to take down the brute. He let out a loud snarl before bounding over to the large elk, latching onto his back and crunching down hard as he dug his claws into Norn's side. Norn bellowed angrily, spinning to throw Gleddon off and lowering his antlers at the wolf as Gleddon stood back up from being thrown.

"Kill all you can- but leave Garu for me!" Connor shouted from among the chaos of battle, searching for the silver haired man but seeing him nowhere. Snow had started falling, the blizzard obscuring his view for long distances. He shifted to his elk form, searching for the wolf until he found him a short distance away, leaning against a tree.

Connor shifted back to his human form, taking out the stone knife at his side and preparing for the wolf to charge him... but Garu just looked up at him, his yellow eyes dull before he looked away.

"Stand up." Connor hissed, walking over to Garu and standing over him. "Stand up and fight me!"

Garu just made a low snort of disdain at the idea, looking up at the elk. "You already have Misa, what more do you want from me?"

Connor looked at him in confusion. "Have her? She came to me crying. I doubt she did so willingly." He held the knife out to Garu, sliding the tip against the wolf's neck and scraping a line of blood from his throat. "What did you do to her, wolf? She's broken."

"What do you mean?" Garu growled at the words. "Did you hurt her again?"

"No. You did. A few days ago she would rather die than be my mate- and now suddenly she was begging to come back. She even started crying when I told her I was going to kill you. Misa has never cried." He held the blade tighter to Garu's throat. "What. Did. You. Do." he said each word slowly.

Garu could hardly believe the words he was hearing. She had told him a lie? Why? Why would she hurt him so badly and run off for no reason?

"No matter." Connor smiled wickedly. "I'll just have to ask her myself once I'm done with you." He raised the knife, prepared to kill the wolf before being thrown to the side by a massive force knocking into him. He rolled in the snow before looking back up to see Misa's elk form snorting for breath from running, shifting to her human form and standing in front of Garu protectively.

"Get away from my mate." She growled, as if preparing to attack.

Connor let out an amused laugh, standing up and picking the knife back up to finish what he had started.


	8. Falling

Garu looked up at Misa as she stood in front of him, her shining hair blowing in the blizzard and melding with the snow. Had he been hearing things? Did she call him her mate?

He stood up, prepared to protect her from Connor as the elk came back toward them with a knife in hand. He moved Misa behind him, letting out a long, low growl toward the elk walking toward them.

Garu and Connor both looked up as he heard the wolves of the pack howl in victory, the elks driven back from their land. Garu smiled at the triumph, looking back toward Connor. "You've lost, Connor. Go back to your herd and leave us alone."

"Never." Connor said darkly. "I'll never leave you alone. You took what was mine."

"I never took anything from you." Garu snarled. "If we fight, I will not show mercy to you, Connor. You've hurt my mate for the last time."

"Do you really think Misa will be happy with you, wolf? She already has a mate who can take care of her properly. I doubt you will even be able to have cubs." Connor sneered.

Garu growled angrily, shifting to his wolf form, done with words. It was time for action. He darted toward Connor, the elk backing up from the attack before shifting to his elk form and continuing his retreat backwards. He looked behind him to find a sharp drop off, stopping and lowering his antlers toward the wolf.

Connor charged toward Garu, snorting angrily as he aimed the tines of his antlers toward him. Garu dodged out of the way, but found himself suddenly near the cliff. He had fallen into a trap.

Connor bellowed in triumph, running toward Garu with antlers lowered, prepared to push the wolf over the side of the drop, the wolf trapped as he looked around for where to go. It was too high to jump- Connor's antlers were much taller than Norn's. He closed his eyes, hoping to at least not be impaled on the elk's tines.

Misa let out a loud bellow of her own, lowering her head and charging into Connor, meeting him just feet away from Garu and pushing him toward the side of the drop. He let out a terrified cry as he lost his footing, falling over the edge of the rocky cliff, his bellow sounding out until it fell silent when he fell onto the jagged rocks below. Misa scrambled as the edge of the cliff lost ground around her, crumbling below her hooves as Garu watched with horror. He quickly shifted to his human form, grabbing at her to keep her from falling, but couldn't keep a grip on her as she shifted to human form to try to grab onto his hand.

"MISA!" He watched her fall off the cliff, disappearing into the white snow that fell around them. He watched desperately for some sign of life, but saw nothing in the snow that obscured his vision of the ground below.

He looked for somewhere to climb down, finding a shallow ledge that led below. He searched through the snow, the wind blowing the cold flakes into his face so that it stung his skin as he looked for any sign of Misa. He stumbled on the bloody corpse of Connor, still in his elk form. He looked around for Misa, but saw her nowhere in sight. Where could she be?

"Garu?" A soft voice called out desperately from the snow. He looked over to see her hanging from a tree that grew out from the side of the cliff, hanging nearly fifteen feet from the ground. She was alive!

"Misa!" Garu yelled with relief, running under her and holding out his arms. "Go ahead and fall- I'll catch you."

Misa looked down at him nervously, her white dress ragged and torn from the branches that had caught her fall. She let go of the branch, letting out a yell of fear as she fell, but Garu caught her in his arms as he had promised. He fell from the force of the fall, both of them collapsing onto the ground.

He wrapped his arms around her tight, hugging her against him in relief that she was alive. "Don't ever scare me like that again." He whispered against her hair, his desperate hold on her lasting for long moments.

"I'm sorry- I couldn't let him push you over like that." Misa clutched him, digging her fingers into the thick pelts he wore. "I'm sorry I had to leave- that I had to say such terrible things. I saw a vision- you died in it." She let out a soft sob at the memory. "I had to change it. I couldn't let that come true."

"But _you_ almost died." Garu protested, leaning far enough away from her that he could look down at her. He looked her over for any injuries, holding her against him again when he didn't see any.

Misa looked over to Connor, letting out a small gasp at the sight of his body. She buried her face in his chest, not wanting to look at it. "Take me home, please."

"To... the herd?" He asked uneasily, not knowing the answer anymore.

"No, to the pack." Misa whispered, not taking her face away from his chest.

Garu smiled warmly down to her, kissing the top of her had. "So... you want to be my mate?"

"I thought I already was." She looked up at him with a wry smile. "Now bring me back so we can seal the deal."

Garu flushed happily at the idea, hoisting her up in his arms, holding her against him as they walked back to the pack.

* * *

Gleddon looked up as someone approached, his black fur rising on end in alarm. He relaxed when he scented Garu, but squinted his eyes through the snow until he saw he was carrying someone. Misa was clinging to him as he walked, holding her arms around his neck as she leaned against him.

Gleddon sighed in relief at the sight, shifting to his human form as the wolves around him cleaned up the bodies of the elk that had fallen in the battle to save the pack. "Are either of you injured?" He asked, looking to Garu with more meaning behind the words.

"No, we're fine." Garu smiled back to his beta. "Would you mind... keeping people out of the female tent for a while?"

Gleddon smiled happily and let out a laugh of amusement that made Misa blush crimson. "Of course, alpha. Congratulations on your mating."

The other wolves howled happily at the words, those who hadn't heard whispering in confusion before letting out their own happy yells.

Garu walked over to the tent, pulling back the flap and closing it behind them. He lowered Misa down onto the thick pelts that lined the ground of the tent, lying down beside her. He ran a hand through her white hair, looking down at her with warm eyes. "So you saw a vision where I died?"

Misa nodded, not liking to remember it. "In the vision, we stayed after the howl and... mated." She blushed at the words. "The following morning, the elk invaded the camp before the wolves had all woken up. Connor held me captive... and forced you to shift back to human form or he would kill me. Norn killed you from behind. It was terrible..." She hugged him again, to remember that it hadn't happened. "After that he found out we were mated, maybe even with cub. He... he killed me, too."

Garu let out a low angry growl, holding her against him again. "He's dead, Misa. He'll never bother you again." He kissed her forehead reassuringly. "So you said those things to me to keep me away from you?"

"I thought maybe if I went back to Connor, he'd call off his attack on the pack and no one would get hurt." She shook her head. "I was wrong- but it did change what happened. They attacked at night instead of during the day, and there was no blizzard in my vision."

"Either way- change it, you did. I'm just glad you're back." He smiled, resting his cheek against her soft white hair. "Are you sure you want to be mated to a wolf? Connor had a point- I'm not sure if we could have cubs."

Misa smiled up at Garu, rolling them over until she was on top of him. "Perhaps not, but we could have fun trying, right?" She smiled down to him.

Garu grinned back up to her, moving a lock of hair that had fallen in front of her pretty pink eyes. "Aye, lots of fun." He chuckled. He leaned up and kissed her, the heat of the mating bond flaring within him. "Are you sure you want this, Misa? This is your last chance." He said huskily.

"Shut up and mate me, Garu." Misa growled, leaning down to kiss him.


	9. Reconciliation

Garu smiled up at her and rolled them over so that he was on top, pressing her back down onto the thick pelts beneath him. "I know we haven't known each other long, Misa- but I do love you." He growled, lowering his head so he could scrape his fangs over her pulse, loving the little gasp she made.

"I love you too, Garu. My strong alpha wolf." She rested her hands in his silver hair as he kissed and nipped at the sensitive skin of her neck, making her shiver with pleasure. He was taking too long though- the burning need to mate was driving her wild, filling her with a heat she had never known before. She tugged at the pelt wrapped around his shoulders, pulling it off him and tossing it aside with a feral smile.

Garu looked down at her in surprise at the smile, but his own smile turned warm and sultry. They tugged clothing off each other, teeth scraping skin and small kisses accenting each movement until they were both naked and panting.

"I almost lost you today." Garu whispered against her skin, leaning down to bend her over an arm and kiss her breast before taking it into his mouth, reveling in her low moan of pleasure.

"I almost lost you too." She ran her fingers over his arms and shoulders, heat driving her wild with need. "Please Garu, I don't want to wait anymore."

Garu looked up at her, giving her one last long hard lick before smiling softly. "I'll be gentle, Misa." He promised, laying her back down on the pelts and moving himself over her, lining the head of him against her entrance, moaning low at the feel of how wet and ready she was.

"Garu..." She gasped, inhaling sharply as he pushed in, the feel of him thick and stretching her a bit painfully. He went slow, going a bit at a time and stopping for her to adjust before he moved again. Soon he was seated completely inside her and she smiled happily, leaning up to kiss his nose as he panted for breath. He took that as a sign he could move again, and started moving in long smooth strokes meant to be gentle and slow.

The pain receded quickly, and Misa let out soft sounds each time he pushed in, until she finally got too impatient. Giving him a hot and harassed look, she flipped them over while still attached so that she was on top, straddling his hips. "I'm done with gentle." She growled, leaning down to bite his chest.

He let out a low growl at the bite, looking up at her with wide yellow eyes as she started riding him, moving her hips up and down his shaft with quick forceful movements, leaving him leaning his head back on the ground with his mind muddled with the pleasure. "Misa- my mate, my Misa-" He groaned as he moved up against her with his hips, climbing that ridge of pleasure until he thought he would die from it. Misa let out a sharp cry and arched her back as she came, pleasure causing her to shudder and quake against him as she reached the peak. He wasn't long after her, letting out a hoarse cry as he filled her, claiming her as his mate for all time. He sat up as the pleasure quaked through them, holding her against him and biting his fangs into her neck in the Mark, feeling her blood well up from the bite.

He let go with his teeth, licking the wound gently and panting against her skin as the pleasure finally started to ebb away. Gods above, that had been intense. He heard Misa let out a soft feminine sound as she nuzzled her cheek against his neck, and smiled warmly. He held her against him, never wanting to let her go again. She was his mate- claimed for all time with the Mark so everyone would see who she belonged to, and he belonged to her. He looked down at his chest to see her own mark, blunt teeth doing no where near the damage his fangs had done, but it was still there- she had made her own mark on him. He let out a happy laugh, hugging her against him tightly and kissing her.

* * *

The wolves celebrated their alpha's mating that night, a large fire built up in the forest as the Pack in both man and wolf form danced around it, letting out yips and howls of glee. Several deer had been caught, feasting on it as Garu brought Misa more of those pine cones and rosehips she had shown him that night that seemed so long ago now.

Gleddon had teased Garu for being a wolf searching for plants, but Misa had only grabbed Garu by the pelt and yanked him down for a kiss, negating all teasing he had gotten. This made the wolves go wild, howls sounding out all around him, some teasing their alpha for the public display and others happy to see the promise of a future for the pack.

Later on, Garu sat in front of the fires, telling the story of Connor's madness, Misa's bravery and the sacrifice she had done in hopes of saving him from death in her vision. The wolves understood why she left now, and while some admonished her for not telling them in the first place, others were glad she had done what she did. She smiled happily, watching the wolves dance again and wondering how she could have ever lived without this.

* * *

The next day wolves slept well past their usual time, snoring sleepily from the night before. Misa had gotten up, now wearing the pelts of a newly tanned doeskin dress and several thick furs around her shoulders and waist. It felt far more comfortable and warm than the tattered mating dress that had been ruined in her fall. She was glad it was gone.

She looked through the trees at the edge of the forest, spotting the herd in the distance and wondering what was happening there with no head buck to keep order. It must be chaos... and it was somewhat her fault.

"There you are." Garu chuckled as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He looked off in the direction she was looking, frowning when he saw the herd bucks fighting below, bellowing in challenge at each other. Usually that only happened in spring during the rut- not during the winter. "Are you worried about them?" he looked down to Misa.

"Yes, I'll admit I'm worried. I had a few friends in the herd, I don't want them to be hurt by all this." She sighed. "It's partially my fault after all, it-"

"It's not your fault, Misa. Never think that. Connor had gone mad with the power of being head buck. You did nothing wrong." He nuzzled her reassuringly. "We can go down there- the pack needs to talk to them about the lands they stole, anyway. With Connor gone, we'll hopefully be able to get our old hunting grounds back. The clearing used to be pack territory, and the forest on the other side is far more plentiful in game. If we can't get it back, the pack will likely only last a few more winters before starving because of lack of game."

Misa looked up at him in surprise at the information, but nodded. "We should go down there, then. At least to tell them what happened. I don't think we can help them in choosing a new leader, but without Connor or Norn to challenge the other bucks... I think one of them will be noble and lead the herd better."

"Can't be much worse." Garu muttered, making Misa giggle.

Garu smirked and leaned back from Misa before letting out a long howl, calling the pack to the spot. They showed up at after a few moments, some of them still groggy from the night before. "We're going to go down to the herd to tell them what happened." he let go of Misa and turned around to address the other wolves. "I don't want any trouble- we're there peacefully now that Connor and Norn are dead. We'll get our lands back without any more bloodshed."

The wolves nodded in response, some of them grumbling uneasily. They all changed into their wolf forms, Garu kissing Misa's cheek reassuringly before changing into his silver wolf.

Misa smiled down at all the wolves around her, changing into her albino elk form and letting out a loud bellow to the herd to let them know the pack was coming.

Her ears perked as she heard several of the females bellow back in greeting, and she led the wolves down the hill toward the clearing, Garu trotting alongside her.

The herd shifted uneasily as the pack of wolves entered the clearing, whispers sounding at the sight of Misa trotting at the head of the pack alongside Garu. What did that mean? They had never seen such a thing before!

Misa approached the bucks, who had stopped fighting when the wolves approached, and changed into her human form to speak. "Is there a head buck chosen yet?" She shouted loudly for all to hear.

A man walked forward, dark auburn hair wild and untamed from fighting, a few bruises seen over his skin when he changed into human form. He looked tired, but Misa had expected he had fought all day to gain his rank. "I am the new head buck." he said, nodding to the wolves respectfully. "I offer my apologies for the actions of this heard previously."

Garu smiled, already liking this man. "Apology accepted. Will we gain our lands back? We have need to hunt in the forest across this clearing."

"We will happily let you have the forest on the other side of the clearing." The new head bull smiled. The wolves behind Garu howled happily at the words. "However I do have one request of you, alpha."

Garu frowned warily, but nodded. "What might that be?"

"Our lands to the north were ravaged by a strange creature we had never seen before, and we cannot go back there. We traveled south to this clearing because otherwise we did not have enough food for our entire herd during the winter. We request that we might be able to stay in this clearing, knowing that it is your land, and eat from the grass and greens around us."

Misa smiled, liking this new head buck. "What is your name, buck?" She asked.

"Nitir." The buck looked to her with interest. "And you are Misa, correct? I heard a lot about you- mostly from the females, stating that they were upset when you left. I am glad you found a mate, white doe."

Garu grinned, pulling Misa against him with an arm around his shoulders. "Thank you, Nitir. I agree to your terms. Your herd is welcome to stay in this clearing, as long as you allow access to the forest beyond. We will live in peace among each other, and you are welcome to our Howls any time."

Nitir smiled, holding out a hand to seal the deal. "And you are welcome to the Rompings. I will warn you that they do get rather wild in the spring."

"That's an understatement." Misa muttered in amusement as Garu shook the buck's hand.

And so it was that the pack and the herd lived side by side in harmony, telling the tale of the white doe and the mad buck Connor. It is said that the white doe did indeed have children- beautiful white wolves whose coats shone in the moonlight as they ran.


End file.
